GULFPORT, Miss., Aug. 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered the composite deckhouse for the destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) to the U.S. Navy. The 900-ton deckhouse provides an advanced structure that will house the ship's bridge, radars, antennae and intake/exhaust systems and is designed to provide a significantly smaller radar cross-section than any other ship in today's fleet.

"This is a very unique structure for a very unique ship," said Kevin Amis, program director, DDG 1000 Program. "Wherever she goes in the future, the shipbuilders of the Gulfport Composite Center of Excellence will know that they had a hand in building one of the most complex carbon fiber structures ever built."

Ingalls built and delivered the composite deckhouse and hangar for DDGs 1000 and 1001 at the company's Composite Center of Excellence in Gulfport. Made almost exclusively using cored composite construction processes, the deckhouse and hangar take full advantage of the properties of the carbon fiber materials and balsa wood cores. The composite deckhouse provides the unique performance and technical capability necessary in the Zumwalt class of destroyers. The structure is as strong as steel, at significantly less weight. The composite deckhouse also reduces maintenance cost over the life span of the ship due to its corrosion resistance in the marine environment.

"I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast and Ingalls Shipbuilding for their outstanding accomplishment in manufacturing the DDG 1001 deckhouse," said Jonathan Graves, DDG 1000 program manager's representative, Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast. "This complex and cutting-edge composite deckhouse will serve as the heart of the USS Michael Monsoor. We are extremely honored to have a role in celebrating a great American and Medal of Honor-winning hero."

The deckhouse will be placed on a barge and shipped to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine to be integrated onto the steel hull of DDG 1001.

Zumwalt-class destroyers are the U.S. Navy's next-generation guided-missile destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships. The ships will feature a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environment infrastructure. Armed with an array of weapons, the Zumwalt-class destroyers will provide offensive, distributed and precision fire in support of forces ashore.

Huntington Ingalls Industries designs, builds and manages the life-cycle of the most complex nuclear and conventionally-powered ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. For more than a century, HII's Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII also provides engineering and project management services expertise to the commercial energy industry, the Department of Energy and other government customers. Headquartered in Newport News, Va., HII employs more than 39,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:

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